


Caritas Fraternitatis Maneat

by kristallisatie



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 01:34:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3100154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristallisatie/pseuds/kristallisatie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A miniature world as represented by German fairy tales. It is destructive when Prussia is next to Saxony.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caritas Fraternitatis Maneat

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: character deaths, blood, mention of religion. Tragicomedy. Do not read if you are not comfortable with these triggers.

_There was once upon a time a family of hunters of good nature…_ …whose land was incorporated into part of the Lord’s estate, and since the day of confiscation they found themselves tilting the farms like most other farmers within the boundaries of land.  Adalbert was the name of the only begotten son of Gundahar the hunter. This young man of long, sleek golden hair, sooner or later, befriended Theodore, son of a farmer whose life was to serve God through raising cattle.

Everyday Theodore drove the cows to the other side of the farm, where he could see Adalbert tilting and watering the crops, and by the barn he checked whether the cows were dry before milking them. The milk always flowed in abundance, and the herds used the surplus to make cream, butter, and cheese. The two families soon found themselves in amiable terms; the aging, dry cows were sent as gifts to help the farmers, while grain were exchanged instead for the better nourishment of the cattle.

Orphaned both at a young age, Adalbert inherited from his father large plots of land and a true passion for beauty, while Theodore was left with an abundance of cattle from his father and a doctrine of diligence. The hunter’s son decided to take responsibility to offer company for the young herder. In the morning the two worked side by side, and in the afternoon they had meals with each other, and played jollily in the woods. And in the evening they picked seeds and mushrooms together to complete the rest of their work, and at night they ate supper together, and rested in each other’s arms.

They loved each other with all their hearts, as there was no other living soul, other than God, that occupied their souls. They were often seen throwing arms around each other’s’ necks, embracing each other in great brotherly love. It was a small estate, and news spread quickly throughout the Land. The villagers were aware of the loving bonds between them, and the elders spoke in contentment that such acts were pleasant and fitting to praise God.

With the morning tasks completed in one warm afternoon during the summer, they were in the woods again, and after a few rounds of joyous chasing they felt tired, so they found a big hazel-tree and laid on the grass, with Theodore resting his head on Adalbert’s chest. The sun shone bright through the leaves upon them, and with the warmth they were soundly asleep.

Theodore opened his eyes in the evening when the warm sun began to set, and he smiled happily because it was such a pleasure to wake up within Adalbert’s warmth. He looked up, and saw crows flying in groups, crowing through the crimson clouds in the sky. ‘It is going to rain tomorrow,’ the boy thought to himself, and remembered that they forgot to collect some fruit seeds that Adalbert needed to plant in his garden.

He had grown into a tall boy with slender legs capable of running nimbly, so he decided to collect the fruits from the tree and surprised Adalbert before he was awake. So he ran deep into the forest, passing through trees and flowers and scaring the resting rabbits with his loud footsteps. At last he found the fruit at the edge of the forest when the sun set completely. The fruit was hanging on the top of a tree, so he climbed nimbly and reached the top, climbing down the branch to pick the fruit above him. The birds on the nest fluttered in terror at the unexpected visitor. This terrified Theodore as well because he could not see well in darkness, so he lost his balance and fell from the tree, plunging into the lake.

Fortunately, Adalbert was awake when he heard the heavy footsteps of Theodore, thus he traced his path and eventually found the young boy about to sink eternally underneath the waters. The thought of Theodore vanishing from the Land filled him with dread, and he jumped into the lake to save the boy, bringing him back to the forest and shaking him awake.

At last Theodore regained consciousness and his tears fell when noticing Adalbert had saved him. Grateful that Adalbert risked his life in order to rescue him, Theodore looked into the older boy’s eyes in solemnity, and made a resolution.

“You have risked yours to save me, therefore I owe you my life,” Theodore said with tears flowing from his eyes, “and I shall return my gratitude, so that under no circumstance should you lose your life for the sake of others. This is a covenant between you and me – that you will live.”

Adalbert dismissed the promise, for he considered that the rescue was out of his obligation and love for the younger boy. Nevertheless he kept the promise in mind and nodded to him, and afterwards they embraced and kissed each other to express their joy. 

A thought occurred to Adalbert a year or two later, however, that his love for Theodore surpassed the love of women, and thus might bring him into great peril. The boy had become dreadfully afraid of his thoughts and actions no longer fitting the praise of God and the grown-ups, and was worried about any ill luck that might happen to him. As he continued to have more things in common with Theodore, the more uneasy it had felt for him living together with his beloved, and lastly he sought to separate Theodore from him and his life; perhaps that would lead to salvation for both of them.

Beginning to feel the alienation between him and Adalbert, the boy wondered if he was a nuisance or a burden to the older and wealthier man, as he was nothing but a herder with a small herd of poor cattle. The thought occupied him for days and nights, and they began to play together less often than before.

The thought occurred to Adalbert around the same time when the Lord of the estate was asked by his emperor to provide strong men for more troops against foreign invasion. The Lord had his envy eyes laid upon the abundant inheritance of Adalbert and Theodore, and their relative young ages made the two boys easy targets for the Lord’s deprivation. Yet he could not deprive both of them from their inheritance, as one must remain to supervise the production of both lands with his knowledge.

Aware of the strong bond between the two young men, the Lord inquired into the matter, whether the elder found it more promising for the Lord to set the younger boy and his cattle free to the meadows as a shepherd. Unbeknownst to Adalbert about the troop recruitment, the young man nodded yes and spoke, “Nothing pleases me more than watching him free into this world like a majestic lion, for he is a free-spirited creature yet constantly with an empty stomach looking for more. A world of opportunity would suit him as much as it would bring me a little peace.” The lord left in satisfaction.

The next day, the Lord proceeded to inquire Theodore for a person he would recommend for the position of Steward in his household. He heard of the rumours spreading in the Land, thus he answered firmly, “The son of Gundahar is a charming man of wit and grace standing out among us boorish farmers, and I admire him with my life.” Upon hearing the answer, the lord left with another satisfied smile on his face.

Two days later the conscription was announced in the estate by the lord, who proclaimed that all men of strong body were to be selected by the lord personally to be sent to the battlefield in the honour of the knightly clan and the name of God. He did not voice a word of protest, for he was a relatively feeble man and the conscription would not affect him or Theodore, who would be sent off as a shepherd for more monetary opportunities outside of the estates.

After work, around dusk, he saw a procession, clad in armour with torches in their left hands, marched pass by his little cottage. Among them, he saw Theodore marching along with the procession as a soldier, and he was reminded of what the Lord asked him the other night. Filled with fury and desperation, he was to run aside to halt the march, yet he found neither strength nor words to support him.

He first recollected the words he told the Lord the other night to send Theodore off. Then, the memories of rescuing Theodore in the forest returned to strike him, such that he remembered how desperate Theodore in asking him to honour the promise. Nature and promise bound him from reacting, rendering him wordless and emotionless. He knew that what was done could not be undone, thus he returned to his room and remained silent into the night.

—-

After a year or two, the young man found comfort in the women living in the estate, for there was no longer anyone whom he loved more than women. Within his vicinity there was a peasant maiden who made surplus fruit from her garden into jam and herbal drinks, and selling them for a living.

She had a big black cauldron which she brought out in the morning to collect flowers and leaves, filling it with water, and kept the cauldron on fire when she left to harvest the golden apples in her courtyard, peeling the apples under the tree, cutting them into pieces, and returning to her kitchen to dump the fruit into the boiling liquid. Occasionally she received sugar from the patrons, if not, she added spoonful of honey into the cauldron.

The sweet smell of the jam enticed men and women, peasants and lords, fortune and misfortune alike to her doorsteps. Adalbert, now in rank as a steward, but with his power limited in his own plots of lands, was no exception. Not only did he found love in the sweet taste of jam, he also rediscovered the taste of love from this adorable maiden, so sweet and mellow that it kept Adalbert from being sorrow days and nights. The great love and friendship that he felt for her made him ask the maiden to keep house together with him in the future.

His presence and influence within the maiden’s cottage brought her wealth and fame across the Land - that there was a maiden within the forest who made irresistible golden apple jam out of cauldrons, and she was known as the maiden of golden apples. In a month, the women in the land of the East followed suit and made sweets out of cauldrons, which they made a fortune quickly. Plantation of apples and fruits spread like wildfire and took over other trees, and women began to find themselves useful to their families in bringing more wealth than men. This aroused jealousy among the aristocrats and peasants alike as they found themselves unable to resist the sweets, while earning less and less.

The sweet commerce prospered until the neighbouring land was laid waste by wars, where the estate previous sent an army to but was found devastated later. A dreadful famine followed, for the trees and plantations for apples for burnt down into ashes, and grain was in shortage. The landlords and poor peasants saw their chance - both young and old women, who had made sweet apple jam in the forest, were reported and prosecuted by the men in the estates; any of the men who refused to prove innocence of their female companions could also be charged. For this reason, as well as his nature as a living man, Adalbert remained silent. It was especially so because no one came to him and asked him to prosecute anyone.

In the afternoon Adalbert travelled to his maiden’s cottage as usual. On the way he heard the cry of a baby, and soon after he saw his maiden of golden apples, hastened to flee into the church towers in barefoot, with a group of men holding up plows and chasing after her.

With trails of blood dripping beneath her skirt that marked her path, she found it unlikely to escape fully. Thus she ran up the stairs towards the top of the church tower while screaming in defence of her innocence, and when the mob pushed her against the wall, she found no choice but to spring out of the windows upon the lawn for her freedom. She broke her head and limbs, and returned to God’s embrace.

—-

Nine years after the witch trial, Adalbert found himself living comfortably as an official steward with the landlord’s family. The landlord rewarded him out of gratitude and of obligation; due to his wisdom in managing the estate and the household, his lack of defiance, and his courage remaining silent against the Maiden of Golden Apples, who was known in the Land as the Golden Witch.

The lord had begotten a son with fair, golden hair that was suitable of a leader. As a token of honour, Adalbert was asked, not other aristocrat, to be the child’s godson. The man became fond of this young child very soon, for his blue eyes and his strong passion to serve God reminded the man peculiarly of someone who remained as half of his heart. Although the boy was weak and was bed-ridden, he was full of energy and the two had great love for each other, for there was no longer a woman that he loved in this Land.

The spread of the new faith reached the Land of East, and it had become fashionable for commoners and aristocrats alike to profess the new faith, so that they had a reason to take away the beautiful ornaments and decorations from churches and keep those valuables as their own.

The news about the conclusion of the war and the devastated loss of the estate army sent to battlefields came back when a small group of crippled men returned to their homes, and they brought with them bitterness and knowledge about the new faith. Not yet recovered from the wars, famines, and witch trials, the old and weak farmers remaining in the estate found the looting an attractive pastime for them, since neither of them had a wife, nor did they have any strength to tilt vast plots of land left by the deceased farmers and herders.

While most of the dwellers were convinced that the new faith could bring them more wealth, a few number of men remained loyal to their old traditions, and that included the lord of the estate, who relied solely on the power bestowed from their traditional overlords for protection and privileges. And Adalbert’s godson, the future lord of the estate, was one of the most ardent souls being outspoken about his condemnation of the conversion to the new faith.

Adalbert took no part of the looting, for he was saddened by the news of the army’s defeat, and he was sent away from the estate due to the order from his Lord to travel as a messenger throughout the Land on his behalf.  During his absence, discontent and anxiety arose among the peasants, mainly due to the fear of the Lord suppressing their favourite pastime by offering his support to the traditional peasants, taking away their farmland and use them to reward his followers.

The traditional peasants, on the other hand, worried about the takeover of the new faith and eventual forceful conversion. Thus both sides rose against each other, and when the peasants of the new faith was victorious over the traditional enemies, the victors began to rebel against their traditional Lord for further gains. Little did Adalbert know what awaited him when he returned to the estate from his task; the manor he resided in was looted by the rioters who had just won the struggle.

Although the old rioters knew Adalbert as the steward of the household, they treated him as their own brothers because they witnessed his growth as well as his misfortune, so they asked him, “Have you converted?” Adalbert remained silent, for he swore loyalty to no one after coming to understand his landlord’s wicked intention of sending his neighbor away – not even loyalty towards God. 

Then they asked again, “Are you siding with the landlord?” And again he remained silent, for his allegiance for the landlord was unnatural, with his duty and rank being forced upon before.

At least they asked again, “Is the ill successor in any relation to you?” And again he remained silent, however, not by choice but by necessity. Perceiving Adalbert’s silence as approval, the rioters patted his shoulder and gave him one of their rudimentary weapons to march along with.

 When the rioters arrived in the boy’s chamber, the boy was crawling on the floor, coughing blood while making an attempt to escape from the danger. One of the rioters drew out his sword and ended the boy’s suffering quicker with several thrusts in the chest a moment before Adalbert arrived outside the chamber.

“The work is done here! We have won, my fellow, and you need not concern yourself too much about this,” they said, and let Adalbert enter the room to take care of the rest. In there Adalbert found his own godson swimming in blood, and his eyes caught the boy smiling weakly at him before returning to God’s embrace.

—-

Two years after the looting, Adalbert remained in the estate by necessity, for no one else in the estate could qualify, or capable of governing the land and the people. The news of the new faith peasant uprising in the estate and the lack of governance reached other realms. Soon later, an army from another Land had arrived without notice, under the flag of the black eagle. The ambitious man who led this campaign intended to take this land to his complete control in order to expand his kingdom.  He was a full knight in his own rights, carrying his coat of arm in utmost dignity. Alongside the knight was a young squire, who compensated his lack of strength with God-given charm and wit, such that the older knight admired his young wisdom and occasionally forgot the fact that the squire was the son of the Golden Witch from this estate.

“Soldiers, my man, I beg you all to search for my father, for I was told that he must be here in certainty by the kind elder who once rescued me from the hands of executors.” The young boy cried and pleaded the warriors behind him, and they all cheered loudly in support. The knight took off his helmet and spoke to the young squire, “I promise that when your father is found, I shall promptly do you justice.”

As the army marched into the estate, they found most households were dwelled by men of impoverished state with no children or wife. The desperate soldiers were disappointed greatly, for most of them came from villages with a few to no woman, and they yearned for a fair maiden like no other.

The soldiers could not find anyone among those impoverished men that fit the squire’s image of his father – a strong man with brown hair and well-built body. Disappointed, the squire cried and commanded again.

He said, “There must be someone who knows it in here; the elder said there should be a man who was acquainted with my mother, the golden witch, and if you can find that man, he would know who my father is, and he would guide us with his life.”

The knight obliged to the request and led the army into the manor, and found out that the manor was largely abandoned after searching through most of the rooms. The squire and the knight came to an agreement that it was a better idea to search in two different groups, thus the knight walked upstairs while the squire descended down the stairs.

After a few rooms the knight found himself in the master room where Adalbert dwelled in, and Adalbert at that time was changing into a white robe when the knight walked in and saw him. “The Golden Maiden,” The knight exclaimed, for he had not seen more than a few women in his lifetime, such that he mistook Adalbert as a maiden due to the long, silky hair that he possessed. His excitement blinded him, making him forget about how the Golden Maiden had already returned to heaven years ago.

“Yes, this must be the mother of the squire, and he said that if I could find her remaining alive, I can take her as my wife – what a trophy in this infertile land!” The knight rejoiced and ran over to capture Adalbert.

Completely unarmed, the blond man gasped at the knight, and frantically glanced around the room to see if anything could be of his help - a weapon, or a servant, anyone who could bring him away from this danger; however the surrounding was as silent as he was many occasions ago, and there was no longer anyone left in this land who could stand up for him.

The knight first humiliated him in the manner of a woman. When the squire found his knight and the blond man, the illusion vanished, and they recognised that Adalbert was not a woman, but a man. He was then interrogated for the knowledge of the land and its people, and it came clear to the knight that he was indeed the father whom had begotten the son of the Golden Witch. Thus he was humiliated again for the second time, but as a man.

—-

At the end of the first year after the knight’s conquest, Adalbert understood that his time was near, for he was so ill that he must stay in bed at all times. He was not allowed to end his memories untainted after the encounter, Ever since then Adalbert attempted to release himself from the agony, yet his effort was to no prevail.

Later, the knight and the squire were informed by patrolling soldiers that a travelling priest of the old faith would pass by the estate, and he required a night of shelter before resuming his journey. The victor, deeming that a last rite would be proper for the bed-ridden man, for he no longer had any desire to live, nor did he had the power and physique to. The only activity he was able to do was to stare out of the window and search for the distant land, where wars were fought and lives were sacrificed.

Thus the knight kindly offered the priest to stay over at the manor, and provided him wine, bread, and candles that were necessary for the last rite. However, the wine was poisoned; the only reason the knight kept Adalbert alive was due to the knowledge he possessed in managing the estate. As the knowledge was obtained by the squire, the steward no longer had a purpose to stay alive, and could pass away along with the poor priest.

The room was already decorated in the way mandated by the liturgy, and the knight brought the priest personally to the door before he left. The priest, with a pyx held close to his heart, knocked the door and declared, “Peace to this house, and to all who dwell here,” yet Adalbert did not answer him, as he was occupied with his thoughts and could not hear anything near him.

Placing the pyx between the candles on the table after entering the room, the priest genuflected and proceeded to sprinkle holy water at Adalbert in the form of a cross while reciting Latin prayers. Each step he undertook to get closer to the sick, the more hesitant the priest was; and at last the priest reached the bed, and he saw Adalbert’s face close enough that he dropped the aspergillum in bewilderment, holy water spilling over the wooden floor.

"Is this you, Adalbert - am I dreaming?" The priest exclaimed and leant over, half kneeling at the side and looking up; his voice shuddered in joy and fear, repeating Adalbert’s name over and over until the man turned back. "I was told that you perished in the incessant turmoil; for this reason I took a detour to search for your grave to atone my sins."

Adalbert turned back upon hearing the call, for it had been a long time since any living soul addressed him properly. His eyes were first blank and lifeless, but soon they were filled with overwhelming emotions. Yet, he withdrew upon making eye contact, holding onto his blanket and turning aside towards the wall, speaking facing the window but not to Theodore after a moment of silence. “No, it is indeed me, and you will visit my grave soon. I might be the one dreaming, however - If you have become the Angel of Death taking revenge and condemning me in hell, please, take me now.”

Theodore shook his head in grief, for he could not comprehend why his beloved was severely ill, and why he would be the one conducting last rites for him. Nonetheless, he raised his hand to cover Adalbert’s, propelling the man to look at him. “Who am I to condemn you; look, I am not here to take your life. I was sent out as a shepherd, just as I was ordained to, thus I have returned as a shepherd, according to what was promised.”

Adalbert replied in agony. “Alas, that was a lie from the landlord! I know my crime of abandonment and betrayal; if you are not taking my life away, leave me, kind Theodore, and allow me to spend my last hour in solitude.”

 But Theodore said unto him with tears at the corner of his eyes, “Far from it; what a coincidence it was that I return here alive. As I have not given it away yet,  it might be lord’s wish to return you my life, so that you shall not die.”

Adalbert knew that his time was near, and that his conditions could not be resurrected, and Theodore was not a person to be easily persuaded over.  So he held Theodore’s hand feebly and shook his head, replying firmly to him, “You shalt not grieve, as you have sacrificed yourself for me. I fear that end, but I have also found grace in you, and you must live as long as the Lord lives, for there is but a step between me and death.”

Then the man confessed in accordance to the rites, about his silence, about his rejection of love, and about the story of the lives that he sent to the heaven due to his inaction. The priest shook his hand and declared, “You shall forgive me and yourself, for the command I have given you has bounded you from speaking freely, and I caused their deaths; may they have eternal peace in heaven. If your soul desires anything, I shall do it for you.”

“Impose me a heavy penance,” the man replied, and the priest prescribed, “From now on, owe no man anything, but to love one another, for he that loves another has fulfilled the law.”

After confession, Theodore retrieved the particle and administered the Viaticum, which Adalbert received the host eagerly. Then he was served the wine, the blood of Christ, in which Adalbert drank first and Theodore followed after. Concluding the rite with rounds of prayers, he dismissed with a blessing of “go in peace”, which he found difficulty in uttering out the words.

Passion overwhelmed them after the rite, and they kissed one another and wept one with another for their last reunion on Earth. Adalbert found himself in the warm embrace of Theodore in bed. Nostalgically, they looked into each other, and gradually their eyes fell shut. In each other’s arms, both men found a peaceful, eternal rest.

The wicked knight and the squire later returned to the chamber to empty out the corpses, only to find them resting with each other with blissful content. Such is the way of the world - for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

**Author's Note:**

> Major literary reference: 
> 
> History (miniature world): Saxony settling down due to Charlemagne’s aggression, -> neighbouring Bavaria and living together, -> Barbarossa separating them, -> witch hunt in Europe -> Thirty Years War (Defenestration) -> Decline of Holy Roman Empire -> Brandenburg-Prussian dominance and taking over HRE and Saxony -> modern times
> 
> Grimm’s Fairy Tales: The overall tone and inspiration of this work.
> 
> Bible: This is actually a bible disguised as Fairy Tales. Books mentioned / inspired by: Ezekiel, Deuteronomy, Ephesians, Samuel, Corinthians, Romans, Jacob, Job. Gospel of Matthew. Book of Job and Samuel are the main influence - as you can tell, the ending is modeled after David and Jonathan. Adalbert is, of course, a fail version of Job.
> 
> Martin Niemöller: ”First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out…”
> 
> \---
> 
> I thought I would write under a thousand words. What have I done. I rewrote over and over again, with constant pauses and writer’s block… Took me three weeks of constant thought just for a drabble…  
> Two weeks ago, I witnessed my friend terribly saddened by an OTP clash (thanks, Brandenburg government) such that I felt the need to write a drabble to cheer her up. I started thinking that the drabble should focus on how destructive a Prussia x Saxony ship is to Saxony himself historically (numerous attempts to annex the kingdom). But how can I represent the overall destructiveness of this pairing without researching too deeply on a particular era?
> 
> I started thinking of a miniature history drabble, where everything is condensed into one. Due to my original purpose, I also considered that making the story into a fable is a great idea. A sweet, refreshing type of Bavaria x Saxony fic would be great too. Something not smutty, but sweet and crisp as Riesling and medieval harp. But as I got out of the shower and listened to music, it was Stabat Mater… and it messed up my thinking completely… 
> 
> …And I let my Catholic side run wild. The title is from Book of Hebrews. Its translation is “Keep on loving each other as brothers”. 
> 
> The central theme is from Gospel of John. I want to use this quote somewhere in the fic, but that looks a bit too obvious: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
> 
> One part of headcanon discussion on BavSax that I find it difficult to reconcile, is on Saxony’s reluctance to admit his sexuality, and how he considered his emotional attachment towards Bavaria as unacceptable. It is annoying, and this reluctance and inability to speak up candidly have led to a lot of conflict and drama that almost ruined their relationship completely. Part of me wants to bring out that, once people refuse to acknowledge, or refuse to speak up about certain things, shit happens and no one likes it. 
> 
> But whose fault is this for leading these events into tragedies? Should we blame Adalbert for remaining silent? Or is it Theodore’s fault for binding Adalbert with his spell? Or the mob’s fault? The authority’s? The society’s? 
> 
> Who knows.


End file.
